Chapter 1 · Practice 1 of 3
Start from your department's report format, not a blank page
Why it matters
Most departments publish a report format, and examiners mark against it. The FAST School of Computing handbook, for example, gives two outlines:
| Development FYP | Research (R&D) FYP |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Introduction and research problem |
| Research on existing products | Literature review |
| Project vision: problem, objectives, scope, stakeholders | Proposed approach |
| Software requirements specification | Implementation (simulations or experiments) |
| Iteration plan and iterations | Validation and testing |
| Implementation details | Results and discussion |
| User manual | Conclusions and future work |
Both are wrapped in front matter (title page, declaration that the work is your own, abstract, table of contents) and end with references and appendices. Create the full heading structure in your document on day one, even if every section is empty. You will always know where a new piece of writing belongs.
Do
- Copy your department's outline into the document as headings on day one
- Ask your supervisor which outline fits your project type
Avoid
- Inventing your own structure when the department provides one